Thursdays with Mora: Oklahoma's Ronnie Perkins' NFL prospects

Perkins' savage nature and tenacious effort will bring NFL teams around, but some teams may want to see more versatility

There’s a savagery in the way Ronnie Perkins plays football that NFL scouts and coaches will absolutely adore.

It even shows up in his Twitter handle.

Forever 7avage🖤 pic.twitter.com/WEr3y4VwS4

— Ronnie Perkins™ (@7avageszn) January 11, 2021

“What I like,” said former head coach Jim Mora Jr., “is when he gets to the quarterback, he doesn’t just sack ‘em, he freaking rips through ‘em. You know? And teams value that type of tenacity. That’s what you want.”

Mora was head coach for the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, as well as a four-year span at UCLA. Now he’s an analyst for ESPN and recently took on the same role for Sports Illustrated.

In evaluating Oklahoma’s promising defensive end, Mora told SI Sooners that Perkins is an intriguing prospect who’s greatest assets are tenacity and productivity.

“The initial question is gonna be about the (NCAA drug) suspension,” Mora said. “People are gonna want to know about that. And if he can explain himself, and if he can come across as trustworthy, honest and dependable, then people will move past that very, very quickly.”

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound St. Louis native slinging quarterbacks and ball carriers viciously to the ground certainly leaves an impression. But the NFL will look much deeper than highlights, and they’ll have some questions about Perkins’ size and versatility.

“One of the questions that teams are gonna have to figure out is if he’s big enough and physical enough to be a right end, or an edge-type player, or does he have to be a 3-4 outside linebacker?” Mora said. “So the way that he (performs) at his pro day (Friday) will be big in terms of evaluating where he goes. You can expect some teams to come in and put him through (pass) drop drills, see if he can flip his hips. You know, one of the knocks on him is that his hips are a little bit tight.

“But that motor. And really, he played 5 games and had 5 1/2 sacks (in 2020); I think he had over 11 sacks over 19 games the last two years. So he is productive.”

Perkins might need another 25 pounds on his frame to be an every-down end in a 4-down scheme. Or he might need a lot of technical work if teams think he can fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-down system. His job at Oklahoma was almost exclusively rushing the passer, although he was frequently impactful on running plays. But he was almost never asked to drop into coverage. That could be a problem for some teams.

Mora said teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Tennessee or New England that feature their outside linebackers as edge rushers might be an ideal fit for Perkins’ skills.

“I certainly think there’s a place for him in the NFL,” Mora said. “I think if he can show he can move in space and he can drop a little bit and he can work in that flat area — you know, he doesn’t have to match cup to a tight end, he doesn’t have to match up to a running back — if he can work a little bit in space, react back up and make tackles on backs in the backfield, then he’s viable as an outside linebacker. But I’m not sure he has that length to be a defensive end.”

The NFL Scouting Combine has been canceled this year, and there are no plans to implement personal visits to NFL faculties. So teams will rely heavily on their pro day evaluations, plus a prospect’s film. Perkins has the film. Now a strong pro day showing could help him get picked in the first round.

“What’s gonna happen is this,” Mora said. “There’s gonna be a lot of teams that say, ‘Nah we don’t want that guy, he doesn’t fit what we do.’ But then there’s gonna be a handful of teams that fall in love with him because of his tenacity, because of his relentlessness, because of, really, his production. Those teams are gonna go after him hard. And all it takes is for one team to fall in love with you, and you’re in the league.

“And they’re gonna draft him with a plan. They’re not gonna draft him and say, ‘Well, we’ll see if he ’s gonna be a defensive end, edge guy or outside linebacker. They’re gonna draft him with a particular plan for him — which is gonna be based on meeting with him, putting him through drills, watching his film, talking to coaches, talking to trainers, they’re gonna do a thorough investigation of the suspension and they have to come to terms with that, and when they do, he’ll find his place in the NFL and I think he’ll blossom into a guy that’s an impact player.”